PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Friday, March 28, 2023, will be a day Sophia Beckmon will never forget.
“I remember jumping my second jump and looking back, and it was a 21’2”, and I remembered where it was in the sand. As soon as I got to my third jump, and I jumped that big one, I looked back, and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s way farther,’” said Beckmon.
The jump was a full foot and two inches farther.
Forget high school, Beckmon’s mark of 22’4” would be the best long jump in the country right now at the collegiate level.
The Oregon City Pioneer achieved that mark at the Jesuit Twilight Relays, which traditionally attracts some of the top high school talent in the nation.
Beckmon, though, didn’t just win the girls’ event.
“When my friend told me I beat all the guys, I was like, ‘Did I? I didn’t know that,’” said Beckmon with a big laugh.
This all isn’t a surprise for Beckmon though. She predicted this when she was 14 years old, saying in an interview with MileSplit that she wanted to jump 22 feet as a senior in high school.
“At the time I didn’t know how significant that was. Now that I’m looking back at that video, and being like, ‘Why would you say that? That is such a far jump, and you have no idea how far that actually is.’ And then I did it, and I’m like, ‘Thank you for saying that.’ I want to go back and be like, ‘Yes, that was such a good guess.’ It just inspires me so much,” said Beckmon.
Beckmon doesn’t just achieve her goals, she soars over them– quite literally.
Next up? Tying or besting the all-time high school record of 22’5”.
“Everything. Literally, everything,” said Beckmon of what it would mean to break that record. “I can’t even put it into words.”
The Illinois-bound senior hopes to pull off that magical moment at the state track and field meet in late-May at Hayward Field, a place that has some magic of its own.
“That would be probably the best thing ever. I love Hayward (Field) and I love competing there, so it would just be a really great way to end it,” said Beckmon.